The present invention relates generally to seat restraint systems for vehicles and, more particularly, to a seat restraint buckle assembly for a seat restraint system in a vehicle.
It is known to provide a seat restraint system such as a seat belt in a vehicle to restrain an occupant in a seat of the vehicle. In some vehicles, the seat restraint system may be a lap belt, a shoulder belt, or both. Typically, the lap belt and shoulder belt are connected together at one end. The seat restraint system includes a latch plate at the connected end. The seat restraint system also includes a buckle connected at one end by webbing or the like to vehicle structure. The buckle receives the latch plate to be buckled together. When the buckle and latch plate are buckled together, the seat restraint system restrains movement of the occupant to help protect the occupant during a collision.
Examples of seat restraint buckles for the seat restraint system are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,424 to Barnes et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,129 to Clarke et al., the disclosures of both are hereby incorporated by reference. However, these seat restraint buckles are not designed to work in conjunction with a seat belt pretensioner.
It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a seat restraint buckle for a seat restraint system in a vehicle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a seat restraint buckle for a seat restraint system in a vehicle that operates with a seat belt pretensioner and with an end release type buckle.
To achieve the foregoing objects, the present invention is a seat restraint buckle assembly for a seat restraint system in a vehicle including a rigid frame having an open forward end defining a passage to receive a latch plate. The seat restraint buckle assembly also includes a locking member operatively connected to the frame and pivotal between a latched position in which the locking member retains the latch plate within the passage and an unlatched position in which the locking member is held clear of the passage. The seat restraint buckle assembly further includes a release button slidably mounted on the frame above the passage for longitudinal movement relative to the frame. The seat restraint buckle assembly further includes a blocking lever operatively connected to the frame and pivotal to contact the locking member and urge the locking member towards the latched position when opposing forces are acting on the locking member. The seat restraint buckle assembly also includes a spring disposed between the blocking lever and the release button to rotate the blocking lever to lock-up the locking member in the latched position.
One advantage of the present invention is that a seat restraint buckle assembly is provided for a seat restraint system in a vehicle. Another advantage of the present invention is that the seat restraint buckle assembly enables the use of a seat belt pretensioner with fewer parts for a seat restraint system in a vehicle. Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the seat restraint buckle assembly allows incorporation of a seat belt pretensioner combination with an end release type buckle for a seat restraint system in a vehicle. Still another advantage of the present invention is that the seat restraint buckle assembly may be used with seat restraint systems having belt or buckle pretensioners.